


a letter from me to you

by junipersand



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Dream in a box what will he do, Hurt/Comfort, Parent AU, Prison!Dream, The Crimson, at all the wrong moments, george and sapnap having daddy issues what will they do, georges sleeping tendencies come from sam i swear, if she isnt done with him idk what she is, puffy raised her duckling to be gentle but dream goes on to destroy an entire bloody country, somehow a demon can have a human has a son but go off, the dream team having parent issues as a whole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:55:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29391582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junipersand/pseuds/junipersand
Summary: Dream,They say birds leaves their nests when their feathers are fully grown. When you walked out of that door, I was nothing but proud of you and your accomplishments. But now, like Icarus that flew too close to the sun, I can’t catch you when you plummet to the sea. Once upon a time, I held your hand as I guided you back home, and I want to believe you’re not the villain in this story. But you’re too far gone, too far out for me to reach you, my little Duckling.They say parents will love their children no matter what. But as Dream, George and Sapnap move on with their lives, they realized that their parents have done the same.
Relationships: Cara | CaptainPuffy & Clay | Dream, Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, GeorgeNotFound & Sam | Awesamdude
Comments: 9
Kudos: 133





	a letter from me to you

_Dream,_

_They say birds leaves their nests when their feathers are fully grown. When you walked out of that door, I was nothing but proud of you and your accomplishments. But now, like Icarus that flew too close to the sun, I can’t catch you when you plummet to the sea. Once upon a time, I held your hand as I guided you back home, and I want to believe you’re not the villain in this story. But you’re too far gone, too far out for me to reach you, my little Duckling._

_George,_

_Like redstone and water, we are different. Yet I was there when you opened your eyes for the very first time. You left our home when I deemed you ready, but_ I _was the one who wasn’t ready. We are not the same. Your heart beats in your chest whilst mine is filled with gunpowder. Yet the love I have for you is stronger than the explosions I could ever make. You were my world, my reason to wake up in the morning. But you changed, and this time, I’m not there to rewire your mistakes._

_Sapnap,_

_When I first found you, you burned brighter than the fires around you, surviving in a world meant for monsters while you are human. You reminded me of my own kin, yet you are not them. I was selfish to think that you could be my kind, as you shared their tendencies when you were young. I sent you off with a hug and a pat on the head, and we said we’d see each other again. Times changed, however, and we’re like strangers. Our homes aren’t with each other. I’m sorry._

The wall of lava died down and the netherite barrier deactivated. Dream, with bruises under his eyes, turned to the Warden, emotionless expression plastered onto his face as well as his stare. The light behind those eyes were well overdue, leaving pitch blackness in its absence.

He blinked at the Warden’s silhouette, his features shadowed by the lava. Something was… amiss. He glanced at the clock. It was in the middle of the night. He didn’t remember Sam bringing him potatoes in this time, nor was it visiting hours. It’s not like anybody visited him anyway, so why was he here?

“Dream.”

Dream looked towards the Warden. That wasn’t Sam’s voice. He looked closer. It wasn’t Sam at all.

“Tommy.”

He hadn’t seen the Brit in forever. Time seemed to pass differently here, where a day would feel like a month. If not for the clock, he would’ve assumed he’d aged a few years. He felt as such. The teen looked the same, albeit decked out in netherite armor in spite of the prison’s visiting rules.

Tommy took a deep breath. Dream’s eyes adjusted so he could see the blond better. Underneath his chestplate was his usual shirt, but with tears and loose strings.

“What do you have to do with the egg?”

Dream stared blankly at him. “Nothing.”

Tommy scowled and fisted the front of his hoodie, bringing the adult to his feet with force. “You’re _lying_ ,” he snapped. “You have something to do with that damn monstrosity. Now tell me how to destroy it.”

Dream wasn’t threatened in the slightest. Despite the netherite sword strapped to Tommy’s waist, ready to be unsheathed at any moment’s notice, he remained indifferent, as if nothing further could faze him anymore. Numbness was the only word that could be used to describe him.

“I have seen it only once,” Dream said. “A long time ago. When Schlatt was still reigning – I think Bad showed it to me.” He looked over to Tommy’s face. He was flabbergasted; exasperated, even. Like Dream telling the truth was a first to him. Like it was the first time that Dream wasn’t involved in a major crisis. Something’s happened in the outside world. Without him.

Tommy cursed and dropped Dream like he was hot coal. Dream stood his ground, but eventually sat down and leaned against the wall. “Did something happen outside?” he continued. Tommy glared at him. “Tell me, Tommy. I’m not exactly caught up with the outside world, you see.” He fiddled with his hoodie strings. “And why did Sam let you come in armed?”

To Dream’s surprise, Tommy’s face hardened, like it was a topic he was actively trying to avoid.

“If you tell me, maybe I can help you,” Dream said. “I’ve been roaming these lands far longer than anyone else has, even the immortals. If there’s anyone who knows how to destroy the egg, it’s me. I just need information.”

The teen fell silent as if he were actually considering it. But to team up with Dream after all the horrible things he’s done? It was like a mouse asking an old cat for advice on how to eradicate a dog. Unorthodox, unrealistic, but it was his only choice. Tommy clenched his fists and whipped towards Dream, hand moving towards his sword.

“How do I know I can trust you?”

Dream shrugged, gesturing to the obsidian walls around him. “The egg’s influence will reach here eventually,” he said. “And I will be here, trapped as a mindless zombie. I may be imprisoned, Tommy, but I’d rather keep my own conscious when I am. That, or everyone dies, and I starve to death on my own. Either way, it’s not looking good for the both of us, and you’ll need all the help you can get when it comes to something like the egg.”

Tommy chewed his bottom lips like he would have trouble sleeping at night if he made this decision.

“Fine,” he said after a deliberating silence. “I’ll tell you about the egg.”

Dream listened to his explanation and wrote all the important points about the creature in one of his books. While there were blurry parts in his story, Dream could deduce the egg’s capabilities that Tommy missed. They made decent progress. When Tommy told him about Skeppy’s condition and Bad’s corruption, it didn’t take Dream any time to figure out a solution.

“Take Skeppy away from the egg. Kidnap him. Restrain him. Whatever will work.” He didn’t even bat an eyelid. “Bad’s stronger than you think. You take away Skeppy, you get Bad out of the picture, regardless of any mind control.”

Tommy shuddered. He still remembered the _Skeppy cage_ in that underground lair. If anyone would know how to control people, it was him.

Everything went smooth, until Tommy mentioned Puffy.

“She’s… she’s in bad shape right now. Punz attacked her, because she defected from their shitty empire. Usually Bad and Ant would be the ones to hunt her down—hunters and all, but…”

The pen in Dream’s hand came to a sudden stop, the ink pooling in one singular dot, seeping through the page and staining the next.

Tommy stopped talking and stared at the adult. “Dream?”

Dream set the book down and grabbed the sides of Tommy’s shoulder almost desperately. Tommy tensed up, haven’t expected the adult to lose his composure, nor had he seen him flustered in his life. His fight or flight instincts flared, his hands itching for his sword, but the desperation in Dream’s face caught him off-guard.

“Let me out just this once,” Dream pleaded, voice cracking. “You—you can throw me back in again once I’m done. I don’t… I don’t care if my sentence is forever. I need to see her. Puffy.”

Tommy tried to create distance, but he can’t shake the adult off him. He was trembling; something Tommy never thought he would live to see. He was calm even when the entire server turned against him. For him to be unsettled just by mentioning Puffy… who was she to him?

“Why do you need to see her?” Tommy asked, skeptical. “Didn’t you cut all emotional ties with everybody?”

Dream didn’t answer the last question, but he did answer the first.

“She—she’s my mother, Tommy,” he whispered, ignoring Tommy’s sharp inhale. “She’s my mom… but I’ve disappointed her.” He released Tommy’s shoulder and dropped to his knees, giving Tommy another heart attack. “Please. Let me go see her. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

Tommy wanted so badly to grip his sword and get out of this place. Seeing Dream so vulnerable should be exhilarating for him. He should have felt joy, pride to see his abuser begging him on his knees. But somehow, he couldn’t. He couldn’t bear to see another human being having stripped of their privilege to see their mother when she was sick, even if that person was someone as horrible as Dream.

He knows how he feels. When Sam was compromised by the egg… Tommy shook his head to avoid it. Sam was safe now. That’s all that mattered.

Tommy sighed. This will be the death of him. “Fine,” he agreed reluctantly. “I’ll bring you to her. But if you try anything, Dream—” Tommy unsheathed his sword. “—I’ll make sure that you’re thrown into the prison until the day your body _rots_.”

Dream nodded, eyes darting around in a frenzy as Tommy turned towards the lava wall. He unbottled a potion that glowed orange.

“We both hate what I’m about to say, but you’re going to have to stand close to me.”

George rubbed his knuckles with a tentative thumb as he stared at the patient tucked in covers. He had green hair and scales running along his neck, his eyes closed to hide his black scleras and yellow pupils. It’s only been moments since the hybrid woke up to change his bandages, but George couldn’t help but be nervous for his father.

He really should have paid attention to the world’s happenings more. He shouldn’t have stayed away from all the conflict when the people he cared for were getting hurt. Now his father was paying the price for his son’s negligence—but would there even be a difference George was there from the beginning? How was he supposed to stop an alien egg from mindwiping people?

He hated to admit it, but Tubbo’s words _stung_. It kept him awake at night, knowing that this all would have been prevented if it wasn’t for him.

_“None of this would have happened if George didn’t sleep through the election!”_

Would his presence make a difference? Could he change the course of history just by being _there_?

Now, his father laid still in the infirmary bed, still yet to recover from the egg’s attacks. From what Tommy told him, the egg had tried to consume Sam, and he was forced to eat his own flesh to survive. The thought alone made George’s stomach churn. How could he sleep easy in his bed while his father suffered such gruesome grievances?

If there was a track record of the worst person on the server, he would be right up the charts. By staying away of everyone’s business, he’d become involved because of his absence. He felt sick, nauseous.

_Sam suffered because of him_.

He didn’t know if Sam forgave him or not. The last time he saw Sam was when he walked out of his house, waving goodbye and promising to stay safe. Their reunion was less than pleasant, where Sam was delirious from his wounds, body wrapped in medicine and bandages. He was worse for wear – George had never seen his father so wounded before.

George’s hand burned. He’d held Sam’s hands, trying to apologize, but his father cut him off, as if George wasn’t there to begin with.

_“Where—where’s Tommy? Is he alright?”_

His heart ran cold. Did George mean nothing to him anymore? Why wasn’t he happy to see him? Why was he asking for someone who caused George so much trouble? Why did he ask for the wellbeing of someone who caused so many wars?

Still, George found himself tearing up and gripping his scaly hand tight. _“Yeah, he’s alright.”_ He didn’t know where Tommy was, but he assumed the teen was fine. He was notorious for escaping deadly situations and getting himself out of a pickle against all odds. He won’t jump out of his skin if Tommy came back with bloody clothes—at least the blood won’t be his.

Sam murmured an incoherent response as he drifted back to sleep, hand still in George’s. He put Sam’s hand down and pulled the blanket over his body.

Their parents were all fighting against each other. They noticed this too late, and they could do nothing but watch.

George buried his face into his hands. He was a terrible son to his father, but he can’t imagine what it was like for Sapnap. After all, his dad was going through something much, much worse.

The infirmary’s door opened. George looked up to see a familiar figure clad in netherite. A spark of jealousy and envy erupted from his gut, but he suppressed it along with the urge to shake Tommy and ask him _what does he have that he doesn’t that made Sam choose him over his own damn son_ —

Then he saw it. A painfully recognizable man behind him, wearing green following Tommy. He’s not supposed to free. He’s supposed to be back in that obsidian chamber. It was the only place he could be so George didn’t have to see him.

George shot to his feet, knocking his chair over. He glowered at them, which Tommy seemed shocked to see him with Sam. “Why is _he_ here?” he demanded, venom leaking from his voice. “Just because Sam’s out of commission, it doesn’t mean you’re _Warden_.”

Tommy met his stare. “Why are you here, Gogy?” he asked back. “Were you and Sam datin’ or some shit?”

George gagged at the statement. _Sweet home Alabama_. That was beyond disgusting to even think such. “I asked you first,” George spat. “Why. Is. He. Here.”

They turned to Dream, who knelt by Puffy’s bed, tears streaming down his face as he held her lifeless hand. George shut his mouth. He knew how much he loved his mother and how much Puffy hurt when he became the villain.

Tommy and George kept their voices down to give the two some space.

“What’s with you and Sam?” Tommy asked. “You disappear from the world, and now you suddenly show up when Sam’s hurt? Are you two like…” His face scrunched up in disgust. “Please tell me you aren’t dating. I do _not_ want you as my other father.”

His words struck like an arrow straight into his heart. _Father_. Sam adopted Tommy. He’d chose Tommy over him.

Tommy frowned at his sudden silence. “Hello?” He waved a hand in front of the Brit’s face. “Gogy?”

George slapped his hand away. “We know each other. That’s all there is to it.” He turned towards the exit and stormed out, completely ignoring Dream and the newcomer.

Tommy sighed and swiveled towards the new figure. Who was it this time? Sam’s actual boyfriend?

“Um,” Foolish said awkwardly, fiddling with his fingers and tapping on Dream’s shoulder like he wasn’t a dangerous criminal. “What are you doing with my mom?”

Dream paused and stared at him.

Tommy’s heart hurt. This family tree was weirder than he thought.

Dream’s world came to a sudden standstill. For all the things he prided himself for, hearing was never one of them. In fact, he was appalled to know that his eardrums remained intact after all the bombings he’d done. But hearing those exact words leave this stranger’s mouth was _wrong_.

“What…” Dream let go of Puffy’s hand and rose to his feet, his height easily overshadowing Foolish. “What did you just say?”

_He didn’t say mom. He didn’t. His mother wouldn’t just replace him… right? He was her little duckling._

Foolish swallowed hard. In spite of his diamond armor and Dream’s defenseless state, he appeared to be more unarmed than the man who owned nothing. He was easily intimidated by his glare, shrinking under his gaze.

“I—I’m asking you what you were doing with my mom,” Foolish stuttered, eyes shooting towards Tommy for backup. Fortunately, the teen noticed and stepped between them, separating the two before it became ugly.

Tommy glared at Dream. “When I said to not trying anything, I mean start questioning people who their mothers are.” The two turned to him as realization finally clicked in his head, his mind doing a hard reset. His head jerked between the two, as if he’d discovered a new land. “Wait. Are you two brothers? Puffy is your mom, after all… I didn’t know Puffy had children!”

“Adoptive,” they chorused, correcting the teen simultaneously. Their faces changed as they interlapped with the other. Dream’s expression grew sourly with despair, while Foolish paled as blood was drained from his face.

_… she replaced him, didn’t she? She raised him to be kind, but instead…_

Dream deflated, all the fight seeping from his body. He didn’t deserve to be called her son.

“Tommy, take me back,” he requested monotonously, not looking up. Tommy shrugged, readying for another trip to the prison. Before they left, Dream turned to Foolish with an almost pleading look on his face.

“Take care of mom, okay? And—and tell her: _I’m sorry_.”

Foolish gave him a hesitant nod as he was escorted back to the prison.

“Hey,” George greeted, sitting next to Sapnap on the roof of Bad’s mansion. “Figured you’d be here.”

Sapnap didn’t respond. He was hunched over, resting his chin on his crossed fingers. His eyes were fixated on the ocean and the glistening tides under the moon.

George’s stare followed the waves. The water was sapphire blue, especially under the moonlight. The sound of tides crashing on the beach below them was white noise to their silence, making their quietness more bearable.

“Dream came to visit his mom,” George continued, unknowing of Sapnap’s reaction. “Tommy let him out. I think it’s temporary, though.” From the corner of his eyes, he caught two figures heading towards the entrance of the prison. The prison belonged to the Badlands, after all. It was unfortunate that their paths were ultimately the same. He was grateful that he left earlier than they did.

Sapnap exhaled heavily and leaned back. He lied on the obsidian roof, his hair spilling around him as the ribbons of his bandanna laid in his hair like lilies. He crossed his arms behind his head, using them as support as he stared up to the night sky.

“How are you holding up?” George asked. “About Bad… I mean.”

“What about you?” he retorted. “Sam doing okay?”

George pulled his shirt down and lied down next to Sapnap, his goggles falling off. He removed them and put them by his head. “He’s fine,” he snipped. “But I asked you first. Are you okay?”

Sapnap huffed. “I’m dandy,” he grumbled, covering his face. He groaned, his poorly scripted lie falling apart as soon as it came. “It’s just—I don’t know, okay? Bad’s out there somewhere, possessed by an oversized omelet that I wish I could break and turn it into a stir fry, and he chose Skeppy over me. I don’t know how to feel about _that_. I was never really taught how to handle this, you know?”

“Hm.” George glanced at his friend after hearing sniffles. He looked away respectfully after he saw Sapnap wiping tears away with his sleeve. “I know how that feels.” He turned towards the prison, his skull aching after lying on the obsidian surface. The two have already entered the prison and they were nowhere to be seen. “Sam adopted Tommy.”

If it were any normal circumstance, Sapnap would have snorted out of laughter. But this was no normal situation.

“Puffy?” Sapnap rasped.

“Recovering,” George said. “She… she also adopted someone. His name’s Foolish, I think.”

“Man.” Sapnap covered his face. “You’d think it’s a trend after all our parents dumped us for someone else.”

George’s throat constricted. “I deserve it,” he choked. “I’m a bad person.”

“… same here,” Sapnap agreed softly. “I don’t hate him; even if he chose someone else over me, or even if I wanted to.”

They lied on the roof of the mansion, letting the tides of the ocean distract them from their thoughts.

_Puffy,_

_I’m sorry. Like birds leaving their nest, I’ve broken your heart and betrayed your trust. You wanted the best for me, but I’ve become the worst of everyone. Leave me behind and take care of your new son – my brother. It will be as if we never met._

_Sam,_

_You taught me to be better than who I am. I hadn’t listened to you then, but I will listen now. Anything… anything for you to just wake up and look me in the eye. Please._

_Bad,_

_You’re stronger than this. Than that egg. Please, come back. I need you…_

**Author's Note:**

> The Dream Team: *arson, murder, human trafficking, minor terrorism but with actual minors*
> 
> Bad, Sam & Puffy: Oh no
> 
> Bad, Sam & Puffy: Anyway


End file.
